


The End of the Affair

by CobaltStargazer



Series: Hiding In Plain Sight [11]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 08:01:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1597514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobaltStargazer/pseuds/CobaltStargazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the heart lies bleeding, sometimes the best you can do is sear the wound closed and try to move on</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End of the Affair

**Author's Note:**

> I have decided to end this series here, with Erin's in-canon betrayal of Alex. For those of you who have read and enjoyed, never fear, for I plan to bring the ladies back and try to put things to rights. The angst factor of this is pretty high, so you've been warned.

When the other shoe dropped, Alex realized she didn't know what else she'd expected. 

The Amerithrax case had been big news, very high profile, and lots of eyes had been trained on them as they worked to solve it. The press, people in office, you name it and they were looking. It had been her responsibility to do those translations, and she'd labored over them for hours. She'd believed she was paying meticulous attention to every detail, knowing how vital it was that the Bureau have the proper information. It had only been a slight flub. But when it came to light that she had missed something and caused the wrong suspect to be arrested, they'd decided to make an example of her.

Had she really thought that Erin would protect her? Ride to her rescue like some frigging knight in shining armor, putting her own career in jeopardy by defending her? They'd discussed the situation once the questions over her mistake had begun, and there had been a shadow behind the blonde's eyes even then. In the Now, Alex was having the realization that the signs had been there, and she'd just been too blind to see them.

Too blind and too in love.

So if she was honest, no, she wasn't surprised. Devastated? Yes. Scraped down to the bone by the knowledge that she hadn't meant enough to a woman who had whispered and moaned and screamed 'I love you' to warrant a simple statement on her behalf? _Fucking_ yes. It was possible to be hurt beyond belief and yet not be surprised by it.

' _Next time you want to hurt my feelings, do it on purpose, and don't apologize afterwards. It insults the both of us_."

Erin would not apologize, and Alex would not ask her to. She'd known the blonde was career-driven, that she'd already made sacrifices and compromises to get where she was. Even though she felt like she'd been gutted, she would hold her head up and keep her spine straight. She wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her crumble.

That was for James, who loved her and was loyal. He would help her pick up the pieces. Some promises of love meant something.

Alex was cleaning out her desk in the bullpen. She'd been demoted and removed from the field. It would take years to remove the blemish from her record, if she could ever erase it. Her bright star was now dimmed, tarnished by one stupid error. And her insides felt like they'd been scooped out and replaced with broken glass and jagged metal.

_Erin, how could you do this?_

Her expression cramped with a grief so deep that she was grateful for the fact that she was alone. For what seemed like one blindingly perfect moment, there had been an 'Us' between them, and now it was on the trash heap with her career. Alex rubbed a hand down the side of her face. She would not cry. _She would not cry._

She finished packing her personal effects into the box she'd brought along, put the lid over the contents. James wasn't due to leave the country for a while. She was going to need him in the coming days. She'd been careless with her marriage, even though he'd never seemed to suspect it, and she wanted to repair whatever damage there might be before he noticed the cracks. The brunette looked down at her wedding ring, turned her hand back and forth so the diamond could catch the light. Her husband would help her through this.

Alex was just on her way out, the box in her arms, and by cruel accident she saw Erin step out of an elevator. Time slowed down, and then stopped. They looked at each other. The blonde's expression was unreadable. Inscrutable. Alex tightened her jaw and stepped past the other woman without so much as an 'Excuse me'. She punched the button marked Down with more force than was absolutely necessary. She thought she felt eyes on her, but she didn't turn around. The elevator took forever in getting there.

When the doors finally opened, the linguist stepped into the smaller confines and ht the button for the lobby. Erin was still standing there. She looked momentarily lost, almost grief-stricken, and then her expression shuttered. The doors closed, and Alex was alone. 

That was it, then, the end. One final look and it was over. If it had ever meant anything, it sure as hell didn't anymore.

Alex would make sure of it.


End file.
